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Re: Memo to Bird

Can't argue with that statement. He had his shot blocked 32 times--4x his blocked shot total for the year.

I bet more than half of them occurred in the first 20% of his outings.

He clearly had to adapt his game to the NBA...and he was making some progress. The fact is, if his game translated wholly to the NBA, he would be a perennial NBA all-star and average 30ppg...and probably force the oppositions front line to the bench with foul trouble. Anyway, everyone needs to get a little perspective here. Tyler was trying to do things he's really not capable of doing at this level. That means he cannot play that way at this level. That doesn't mean he cannot still be very effective. I still don't think we know who Tyler Hansborough the NBA player is going to be.

Re: Memo to Bird

I wanted Lawson over Hansbrough... but I won't go as far to say it was a wrong pick until we see Hansbrough play for an extended amount of time. Other than his horrible fg%, I was really impressed with Hansbrough's play before he went out with the injury. Brings a lot of intensity to the game and that is a lot of fun to watch.

Re: Memo to Bird

If thats what they truly thought, then why even take him to begin with?

When you're particularly concerned with drafting guys who will produce, you take the guy with the higher basement (though lower ceiling) to avoid taking a guy who has the higher ceiling, but is more likely to completely bottom out.

Safe picks usually don't "wow", but they're more likely to at least be "okay".

Typically, the better off you are, the more likely you are to gamble (such as when you're a contender with a low pick). We weren't in a great position to gamble.

Re: Memo to Bird

Making judgments on players early on in careers is dangerous. If we went off first-season results only, Jamaal Tinsley was the greatest draft pick ever for the Pacers. In the end, didn't quite work out as well as we all thought. Jermaine O'Neal spent FOUR worthless seasons in Portland, and then turned into an All-Star, whether you liked him or not.

You gotta look down the road, if possible, and see what you can see. I still think Hansbrough will be fine... Blair could barely be walking in a few years and there ya go. 20/20 hindsight, and no foresight are a bad mixture.

Re: Memo to Bird

When you're particularly concerned with drafting guys who will produce, you take the guy with the higher basement (though lower ceiling) to avoid taking a guy who has the higher ceiling, but is more likely to completely bottom out.

Safe picks usually don't "wow", but they're more likely to at least be "okay".

Typically, the better off you are, the more likely you are to gamble (such as when you're a contender with a low pick). We weren't in a great position to gamble.

Agreed. I will add to this that Hans set numerous ACC and North Carolina all-time records...yet was picked at #13. Any other Carolina player with his resume' would be picked #1 or #2 at the lowest. The point here is that the experts never expected his skills to translate to the NBA. At #1 or #2, Hans had a very good chance of being a bust. At #13...if healthy, the risk of bust was quite low. If he were picked in the 20's, he becomes a potential steal. Really, I think the teens was just about right for him. One could argue he should have gone 15-18 and I wouldn't argue too much....but #13 is fine and I like it even better after seeing Jeff go down and Murphy soon on his way out. Hans is a nice replacement for either of those guys and even now has a good chance of helping a team win more than either of those guys. Yes, even Foster. ...but of course he needs to get 100% healthy for this to happen and that's the biggest roadblock.